TRB Rajaa, Minister for Industries

The Tamil Nadu government is keen to establish the India Centre for Advanced Manufacturing in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF). The State government in collaboration with the WEF hosted a public-private discussion attended by nearly 20 business leaders to deliberate on establishing the centre in Chennai.

Proposed as an initiative to foster national and international collaboration in advanced technologies, the Centre aims to support companies in their innovation, sustainability, and R&D endeavours. Drawing on the global expertise of the WEF and the insights of Guidance Tamil Nadu into local priorities, the State government intends to set up the Centre in Chennai, says a release issued by the office of the State Industries Minister TRB Rajaa.

Focus areas

The discussion highlighted three key focus areas for the Centre — technology adoption and innovation, industry-academia engagement and sustainable production. Participants from various sectors, including electronics, automobile, and general manufacturing, actively engaged in the dialogue alongside representatives from government bodies such as the MSME Department, TIDCO, and TNSDC.

Rajaa in his speech said, “We have already started the digital transformation process, and Tamil Nadu becoming the capital of advanced manufacturing will further bolster our effort.”

The Centre’s three-fold objectives are supporting high-end innovation, new business models and digital transformation for manufacturing companies, including SMEs; promoting industry-academia collaboration to drive innovation, workforce upskilling and research and development and facilitating system-wide collaborations to support supply chain decarbonisation and circularity.

Enhancing competitiveness

Tamil Nadu has already established three Centers of Excellence in collaboration with Siemens, GE and Dassault Systemes, providing vital support to start-ups and MSMEs to enhance their competitiveness in both local and global markets. Additionally, Industrial Innovation Centres have been set up at SIPCOT Parks in Sriperumbudur and Hosur to foster industrial innovation and accelerate technology adoption.

To further enhance the State’s capabilities and attract critical industries like semiconductor, green hydrogen, and solar PV module manufacturers, the Government is actively considering setting up knowledge parks in major cities in partnership with international research institutes, he said.

The State’s partnership with the WEF and other stakeholders is crucial in elevating Tamil Nadu to higher value-add segments of the manufacturing value chain. Amid the fourth Industrial Revolution’s transformative technological advancements and supply chain disruptions, these efforts are expected to equip industries to adopt new technologies and maintain competitiveness, he said.

Published on August 22, 2023